Modern Day Relevance of Sinclairs The Jungle Essay

The Jungle was first published in 1906. Contemporary critics disagree about whether or not the novel has any â€Å"relevance† for modern readers. What do YOU think? I believe this novel has somewhat of a relevance for modern readers in today’s society. In the world of economic competition that we live in today, many thrive and many are left to dig through trash cans. It has been a constant struggle throughout the modern history of society. One widely prescribed example of this struggle is Upton Sinclairs groundbreaking novel, The Jungle. The Jungle takes the reader along on a journey with a group of recent Lithuanian immigrants to America. As well as a physical journey, this is a journey into a new world for them. They have come to†¦show more content†¦The American Dream portrays the idea that if a man is lazy, he might not do so well, but if a man wants to work and educate himself and try to create a fortune, there is nothing standing in his way. Some believe that Capitalism is the cause for much of the poverty in the nation today, but any hardcore capitalist will tell you that capitalism inherited poverty, and far from being a cause of poverty, it is the only solution. †¨ The symbols of socialism and capitalism are present right from the start in this story. Sinclair first depicts the Lithuanian event with many of the same things and the partygoers with many of the same values (i.e. getting drunk, dancing) as we might see today to give the reader a sense of identity with the Lithuanians. He is beginning to get the reader to sympathize with these people. The grand time they are having is all part of traditions that these people have brought with them from their homeland. The people pitch in together to pay, everyone has their fill of everything, and strangers are brought in and welcomed. This is a strong symbol of socialism, where everyone is considered an equal. However, he mentions that sometimes, the barkeeps rip off the organizers of such parties by giving them poorer quality alcohol or overestimating the amount of alcohol consumed by the guests. This is a show of the swindling that Sinclair is ch aracteristic of the every man for himself idea of capitalism. SomeShow MoreRelatedOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagespose important challenges to organization members about issues such as: †¢ The relationship between organization control and freedom. †¢ The nature of power and authority in organizations. †¢ The relationship between individualism and collectivism in modern organizations. †¢ The relationship between organizations and society. †¢ The ways in which organizations are designed. †¢ The relationship between organizations and leadership and management. †¢ The development of understanding of organization culture